樂邦文類 4.49

4.49

問：唯心淨土周遍十方，何得托質蓮臺寄形安養？而興取捨之念，豈達無生之門？忻厭情生，何成平等？答：唯心佛土者，了心方生。《如來不思議境界經》云「三世一切諸佛皆無所有，唯依自心。菩薩若能了知諸佛及一切法皆唯心量，得隨順忍，或入初地，捨身速生極樂佛土。」故知識心方生唯心淨土，著境秖墮所緣境中。既明因果無差，乃知心外無法。又平等之門、無生之旨，雖即仰教生信，其奈力量未充，觀淺心浮、境強習重，須生佛國，以仗勝緣忍力易成，速行菩薩道。《起信論》云「眾生初學是法，欲求正信，其心怯弱。以住娑婆，不常值佛，信心難成，意欲退者。當知如來有勝方便，攝護信心。謂以專意念佛因緣，隨願得生佛土，常見於佛，永離惡道。若人專念西方阿彌陀佛，即得往生。常見佛故，終無有退。」《往生論》云「游戲地獄門者，生彼國土，得無生忍已，還入生死國，教化地獄，救苦眾生。以此因緣，求生淨土。」《十疑論》云「智者熾然求生淨土，達生體不可得，即是真無生，此謂心淨故即佛土淨。愚者為生所縛，聞生即作生解、聞無生即作無生解，不知生即無生、無生即生。不達此理，橫相是非，此是謗法邪見人也。」

Question: Since the mind-only Pure Land encompasses the ten directions, how can one entrust one's substance to a lotus pedestal and lodge one's form in Peaceful Nurture? To give rise to notions of grasping and rejecting—how could that penetrate the gate of non-arising? When sentiments of joy and aversion arise, how does that accomplish equanimity? Answer: As for the mind-only buddha-land, only by understanding the mind is one born there. The Sūtra on the Inconceivable Sphere of the Tathāgatas states: 'All buddhas of the three periods of time are nonexistent; they rely solely on one's own mind. If a bodhisattva can understand that all buddhas and all dharmas are merely measures of the mind, they attain compliant forbearance, or enter the first ground, and upon casting off the body are swiftly born in the buddha-land of Ultimate Bliss.' Therefore, know that only by knowing the mind is one born in the mind-only Pure Land; clinging to objects merely causes one to fall into perceived objects. Once cause and effect are understood to be without error, one then knows there are no dharmas outside the mind. Furthermore, regarding the gate of equanimity and the purport of non-arising: although one looks up to the teachings and generates faith, what can be done when one's strength is not yet sufficient, one's contemplation is shallow and mind frivolous, and objects are overpowering while habits are deep? One must be born in the buddha-land, so that by relying on superior conditions, the power of forbearance is easily perfected, and one swiftly practices the bodhisattva path. The Awakening of Faith states: 'When sentient beings first study this teaching and wish to seek right faith, their minds are timid and weak. Because they dwell in the Sahā world and do not constantly encounter buddhas, their faith is difficult to accomplish and their intentions tend toward retrogression. One should know that the Tathāgatas have an excellent expedient to protect and sustain their faith: namely, through the cause and condition of single-mindedly practicing buddha-mindfulness, according to their aspiration they attain birth in a buddha-land, constantly see buddhas, and forever leave behind the evil destinies. If someone single-mindedly practices mindfulness of Amitābha Buddha in the west, they will attain rebirth. Because they constantly see the Buddha, ultimately there is no retrogression.' The Treatise on Rebirth states: 'Those who play in the gates of hell: having been born in that land and attained the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas, they return to enter the lands of birth and death, teach and transform hell, and rescue suffering sentient beings. For this reason, they seek birth in the pure land.' The Treatise of Ten Doubts states: 'The wise ardently seek birth in the pure land, yet realize that the substance of birth is unobtainable; this is true non-arising. This is what is meant by "because the mind is pure, the buddha-land is pure." The foolish are bound by birth: hearing of "birth," they interpret it as birth; hearing of "non-arising," they interpret it as non-arising. They do not know that birth is non-arising, and non-arising is birth. Not understanding this principle, they arbitrarily fabricate right and wrong; these are persons with false views who slander the Dharma.'